Acquaintances
by chquine-harvinellisse
Summary: Reunions and troubles where they started to have trouble. Anna Lemouri and Roxis Rosenkrantz


**I do not own Mana Khemia.**

**I know that this pairing isn't exactly common, but I decided to make a fic about it anyway... XD**

**Enjoy reading!**

* * *

><p>Anna opens her eyes and exhales. The dojo is empty and the only sound is coming from the outside. She raises her blade as she relaxes her knees and stands up. With one swift stroke, she raises it and with a loud yell, she brings it down. The metal vibrates as it is brought down. The female inhales and raises her blade again. With a loud yell, it is brought back down.<p>

Every morning, the young woman swings her sword as to keep her strokes clean and sharpened. At 20, she is both a licensed alchemist and an accomplished swordsman. Her father is proud of her, if only she would stop being stubborn and marry a suitable man.

Her marriage has been an issue within the family. While the Lemouri matriarch supports her daughter's claim—that she has not fully explored her options as an alchemist and a swordsman—she agrees that she must start looking for a suitable man. Her father, on the other hand, isn't easily pleased. He's telling her, time and time again that if she does not find a husband soon, she will be forced into marrying one of her father's recommendations.

She finishes her swings and hears a knock on the door. "Come in," she says as she wipes the sweat off her brow.

A servant opens the door and bows to her. The Lemouri family is quite wealthy despite its low profile tendencies. Their strict adherence to traditions and disciplines makes the one of the oldest families in the world. Even as a young girl, Anna has been made privy to such traditions; she is expected to follow them.

"Miss Anna," the servant starts. The older woman is dressed in a soft pink kimono—signifying that she is one of the head servants. "A letter arrived from your acquaintance in the Rosenkrantz family."

"From Roxis?" She muses out loud as the servant hands her the envelope. The younger female sheathes her sword and gets the letter. With a wave of her hand, the servant is dismissed. She opens the envelope and unfolds the letter. Briefly, she skims the contents and immediately understands.

Roxis, now 21, is one of the most successful alchemists of his time. He's developed a healthy rivalry with Vayne, who—since Jess' treatment—focused intensively on medicine. Because of his popularity, a lot of people want to meet him and thus he's invited to a number of parties all over the continent. On some of these parties, he invites Anna, first as a companion who shares the same school-story as him and as an official friend after.

He's never told her, but Anna can tell that he's also using her as a ward from rabid female admirers that he's acquired through his speeches and demonstrations. She doesn't hold it against him, because unlike in Al-Revis Academy, where people are put off by his nonchalant and snobbish behavior, some actually find it charming.

And what better way to ward off persistent females than a female with a katana strapped to her shoulder?

The female stands up and pads quietly to her room. Her training clothes smell of sweat, but she ignores it. Sliding the door to her room, she sits in front of her desk overlooking the window. She takes a piece of paper and immediately starts to write her reply. The details are written on the letter he sent; he would pick her up from her house on the appointed time. After her reply has been done, she heads outside, to the mailbox—one of Roxis' innovations. She simply has to input the coordinates of the recipient and the mailbox, via a number of complex processes, will send it to the set place.

"I see you are up and about."

Anna turns towards her father and bows. "Good morning, father."

"You received a letter?" He clarifies, eying the mailbox.

She nods. "It's an invitation from Roxis."

He raises a brow. "The Rosenkrantz boy? He's been sending you quite a lot of invitations. And what did you say?"

"I said I'd go," she replies simply.

The Lemouri patriarch shakes his head. "I did not raise you to be a mere trinket to boys. You are not to be worn and removed at will. Do you not value yourself, Anna?"

"Father," she starts. "I am not being used. Roxis enjoys my company and I enjoy his."

He scoffs and crosses his arms. "That's not how I see it."

She sighs wearily. The tone her father is using is immensely familiar. "Is this about my refusal to marry again?"

"Anna," he mimics her tone. "You have refused to obey my commands to take over the business 4 years ago. Now you are refusing to obey me to get married."

"Father I…" she cuts herself short. No matter what she says to her father will only pass through his ears. Age has intensified his stubborn nature. "I am not going to get married yet and that is all I wish to say on the matter." She says succinctly.

"Anna," her father calls as she enters the threshold. "I will give you a month more," he says strictly. "A month more to find someone of your choosing; if you are unable to find one, I will have to intervene."

Anna gulps at that and bows in lieu of a reply. She removes her clogs and thinks long and hard about what her father has told her. She does not understand why her father wants her to marry so quickly. If she marries then the Lemouri name will disappear. She will have to take on her husband's name and she will be under his name. Nonetheless, she makes her way to the dining area.

She finds her mother sitting down and sipping tea. She glances at her daughter and asks, "Did you get into an argument with your father again?"

The younger female falls unceremoniously on her spot, earning a glare from the matriarch. Straightening herself up, Anna replies, "It's always my marriage that he's worried about."

"You cannot blame him for that," her mother says calmly as she puts her tea down. "He is very passionate about the family's traditions."

"But it doesn't make sense," she says. "If I marry then I lose the Lemouri name."

"I am sure your father has thought of that," the mother says as she pushes the plate of rice balls towards her daughter. "On the other hand, the Rosenkrantz boy has invited you for a gathering again?"

"Yes," Anna replies as she eats the rice ball. "It's for tomorrow."

"I see," her mother trails off and she stands up. "Clean up when you are finished."

She sits there in silence. Her mother clearly has something in her mind, but knowing the older woman, she won't divulge what's in her mind. The younger woman can only eat in isolation as she tries to think of a way out of her current predicament.

* * *

><p>"Miss Anna," the servant calls from outside her room. "Mister Roxis is here."<p>

The addressed female releases a sound of affirmation from the back of her throat. She stares at herself on the mirror. Her hair is pinned back with a cherry blossom hair ornament. She's wearing a soft purple kimono that she likes so much. Her katana is hanging from her shoulder and all in all, she looks presentable.

Putting her clogs on, Anna slides her door open and leaves. Neither her mother nor her father sees her out. None of them has ever seen Roxis. On the few occasions that he has come to their house, he always sees her accompanied by one of the servants. He attributes it to the fact that he's taking their daughter's precious time.

He's wearing a rich black suit. His hair is still long and still in its trademark ponytail. He has never been a trendsetter and has his own style to look after. When she gets to the entrance, she sees him fumbling with his tie and she volunteers to fix it for him.

"I never get this right," he mutters.

"After all of those parties you've gone to?" She teases him as she finishes with the knot.

"That's hardly any basis for it," he says, looking away. She pats it twice before saying, "Let's go."

Roxis nods before leading her to the carriage. She gives him a look. "The venue is close by," he explains.

Anna goes in first and he gets in after her. "So what's today for?" She asks him.

"Do you remember that Mana medicine that we tried to make for Sulpher?" He asks and she nods. "Well with research, it's apparently feasible."

"Didn't Mr. Zeppel recommend it because it works?" She asks, puzzled. The teacher seemed to know what he was talking about when they left Sulpher in his care.

"There are some mistakes in the recipe," he answers. "I asked him for the ingredients and when we tried it out, it came out as a mere Heal Jar, only with superior healing capabilities."

"I see," Anna puts a contemplative hand on her chin. "So that's what you've been doing for the past few months?"

"Yes," Roxis replies. "It's finally ready for public use." A small smile is on his face, nonetheless, she recognizes it. She's been with him long enough to know the meaning behind his simple gestures.

"Is there a particular reason why you wanted to develop the Mana medicine?" She asks curiously.

He nods and pushes his glasses up his nose. "It has been brought to my attention that there have been strange occurrences of Mana being ill. When Sulpher fell ill, it was just because of old age, but when we examined them, they were indeed sick."

"Has the cause been determined?" Anna asks, a serious look passing over her face.

"Unfortunately, no," he replies. "The cause remains to be unknown, but we have our doubts."

"If one can make a Mana medicine," she concludes, "Then by changing the ingredients, it's also possible to make the opposite."

Roxis nods. One of the reasons why he likes spending time with Anna is her quick and sharp mind. He would have asked her to be one of his research partners, but she's quite occupied with the family business. "Though that is possible, I can't think of a reason why someone would want to inflict injuries on Mana."

"A grudge perhaps?" Anna offers. "When did the illness came to be?"

"If the reports are right, just a few weeks before the recipe was brought to my attention," Roxis replies. "It could also be possible that it's an outside force. The recipe has been steadily available to the other licensed alchemists anyway."

"But why would he only choose to move now?" She challenges. "If that person has a grudge then he would have started long ago."

"Perhaps he was afraid of losing his license? But if he's skilled enough he can cover any trace that will lead to him."

She nods in agreement. "You think that the culprit is in the party, don't you?" She raises a brow towards him. "That's why you wanted me to come with you."

A satisfied smile crosses over his features. "Sharp."

"In that case," Anna retrieves a small pouch from her sleeve and hands it to him. "You left this at the workshop."

Roxis opens the pouch to reveal a box inside. He opens the flaps and recognizes the contents. The sharp edges remind him of the days when he used it against such strong monsters on the floating continent. "I didn't think you'd keep my Solingen deck."

"I thought you'd need it sometime. It would seem that I chose the right time to return it," she smirks knowingly. "Either way, we can't let this continue."

"Agreed."

* * *

><p>The venue is a large hall with lavish chandeliers and rich curtains of red and gold linings. Roxis and Anna are welcomed and brought to the table at the very middle, so it will be easier to accommodate those who wish to meet one of the most successful young alchemists of the generation.<p>

"This one seems to be bigger than the previous ones," she remarks as they sit down.

"It's a gathering organized by the Rosenkrantz family." He tells her. "Aside from celebrating the success of my Mana medicine, today is my grandfather's death anniversary."

"I see," she mutters.

A gentleman approaches them. He's wearing a dark blue suit and his short pale gold hair is slicked neatly away from his face. He highly resembles Roxis and Anna immediately associates them as relatives.

"Ah, Roxis, you're back," his voice has an edge to it; she couldn't tell if it's because of age or it's just the way he talks. "I thought you'd sneak off." He pats the younger male's back harshly and grins a goofy smile. His eyes settle on Anna and a soft smile replaces the first one. "Oh, I see. This must be Anna Lemouri eh?"

The addressed female stands up and bows politely. "It's nice to meet your, sir. I'm Anna Lemouri."

He grins and replies, "Ah yes. Roxis has told me a lot about you. You were in the same workshop at Al-Revis, right?"

"Yes, that's right," Anna nods. "Roxis has told me about you?"

"Oh yes!" He exclaims gleefully. "This young man has nothing but praise for you."

Uncomfortable with the flow of their conversation, Roxis intervenes. "Anna, this is my father, Roel Rosenkrantz. Also," he turns to his father and she swears she could see his expression darken. "When have I ever snuck out of a gathering? Please refrain from making such farfetched statements, father."

Roel contemplates for a moment before saying, "But you did sneak out once. It was an acquaintance party, if I remember correctly. You were too ashamed to talk to one of the women there and you just disappeared before anything could happen."

The younger male grumbles as Anna chuckles, remarking on how naturally awkward her bespectacled senior is. "Did you have to?" He mutters lowly.

"Anyway," the older male waves a dismissive hand. "It's nice to finally meet you, Anna. I thought Roxis was a complete loner when he was at Al-Revis."

She mirrors his pleasure and sits back down. When Roel is out of earshot, she comments, "Your father is an interesting person."

At that, he scoffs. "I wouldn't want to be stuck in the same room as him for an extended period of time."

"He kinda reminds me of Flay, only more rational," she remarks playfully and he inwardly shudders. "He's the one you were talking about right?"

Nodding, Roxis replies, "He taught me numerous tricks with cards. I didn't think that I'd be dependent on them." He idly toys with the box of his Solingen deck.

Another gentleman approaches their table. This time, it's a man with soft brown hair. His eyes are a soft shade of purple and his suit is the same rich black as Roxis'. "Good evening, Roxis."

"Ah," the addressed male stands up. "Good evening, Harold. I assume everything is going as planned?"

The brunette nods with a smile. "Yes." His eyes fall on Anna and they flicker with interest. "Is she… your companion for tonight?"

Despite the hostility that she's sensing from him, the blue-haired female stands up and replies, "I'm Anna Lemouri. Roxis and I were in the same workshop from Al-Revis."

Harold's eyes glimmer with understanding and he smiles. "I see. I'm Harold, Roxis' assistant. I hope you enjoy the evening."

Anna nods and directs her attention elsewhere as the men start to converse. She's intrigued by the statue of Uroborus that's on the stage. It's immensely similar to the one at the student grounds of Al-RevisAcademy. For some reason, it feels off, but she shrugs it off as Roxis calls her attention.

"Is something wrong?" He asks her.

"I'm intrigued," she confesses. "That statue," she points to the Uroborus statue on the stage. "It seems out of place, don't you think?"

His gaze lands on the statue and replies, "Well that is true. But I know very little about interior decorating. My father and my colleagues were in charge of the décor and the gathering itself."

"It does kinda remind you of the Academy, right?" She says and he nods in agreement.

The lights dim and Harold takes his place on the stage. He looks rather unsure and awkward with the whole ordeal, but nonetheless he manages to announce Roxis' opening remarks. There is a light applause as he approaches the stage and all eyes focus on him.

"As you all know," he starts, strong and firm. When she gazes at him from where she is, Anna feels as if the bespectacled senior is leagues away from her. "There have been reports of Mana falling ill. As a master of one, I know how it feels like to have a constant companion, joining you wherever you go. Therefore, my colleagues and I have thrust the responsibility of finding a cure for this reported illness upon ourselves. Mana are more than beings of power that enhance alchemic abilities and innate powers. They are friends; not tools. Tonight is the night that we celebrate the proven effectiveness of this Mana medicine. Starting tomorrow, this medicine will be available to the public. Licensed alchemists have been charged with prescription of the medicine and rest assured they will serve for the better of the public. My late grandfather also departed this day. I hope that wherever he may be, he's watching me with proud eyes. Thank you all for attending this gathering and enjoy the night."

Applause follows again and Anna allows herself a slight chuckle when Roel gives his son a bone-crushing hug once the young male is off the stage. Roxis approaches the table with a slightly embarrassed expression on his face. The lights turn on again and he invites her to the buffet table.

The rest of the evening is spent with introductions to Roxis' colleagues that she hasn't met before, investors and acquainted alchemists who will pioneer the distribution of the Mana medicine. She accommodates him despite the temptation to leave him awkwardly with those people she knows he'd rather not be with.

When the flow of people ebbs down and the night is slowly becoming deeper, Anna finds herself leaning on the railing of the balcony. A ceramic cup of sake is on her hand and a bottle is resting quietly on the railing's surface. The wind is gently blowing on her face, tickling her cheeks with the locks of hair that she didn't pin back.

"Do you mind if I join you?"

She turns to the source of the voice and sees Roxis standing with a glass of red wine in his hand. "Not at all," she replies with a smile.

He joins her at the railing, leaning over it and staring at the world below. "Tired of the throng of people inside?" He inquires playfully.

"I just enjoy drinking when I'm alone and it's quiet," she shakes her head. "What about you?"

"I find their topics for conversation rather boring," he replies without missing a beat.

A chuckle and then, "So you would rather talk about nonsense with me?"

"Well we did fight against certain death when we were mere teens," he points out. "And we got along pretty well back in the Academy."

She cuts him short, "We're still getting along well, aren't we?" They weren't getting anywhere with this conversation, but they rarely ever do.

He nods and responds, "Perhaps it's the shared experiences that make me want your company more than those who have only seen me in my better years." He is rather thankful that his Mana is not being pesky and is merely staying put. No doubt that the mischievous Mana of Light will have something to say to ruin the moment.

"I wonder where they are now," Anna absently wonders. "I haven't heard anything from Pamela or Muppy since I graduated. Flay seems to be somewhere perpetuating his ideals of justice," she smiles at the thought. "Nikki went back to her hometown, last I heard and Vayne is still working on a cure for Jess."

"I've been keeping in touch with Vayne," Roxis states. "He's close to curing her."

"That's good then," she smiles and it is reflected in her voice, though her speech has gotten a little slurry.

"Are you okay? Do you want me to get you a chair?" He inquires after noticing the sway in her stance.

She waves a dismissive hand. "I'm fine. The sake is just starting to kick in. I'm not drunk yet." When he rewards her with a skeptical look, she sighs and draws her sword. With one quick swipe, the blade is but a hair's breadth away from slicing his neck. He feels his breath get stuck in his throat and a long exhale follows after she lowers her blade.

"See?" She grins girlishly as she sheathes her blade. "I told you, I'm not drunk yet."

"Could you please refrain from doing that?" He lets out a shuddery breath. "It reminds me of when you were out to get Pamela and beat me within an inch of my life."

"I was panicking then," she says defensively. She's about to say something more when the ground beneath them shakes. Instinctively, their eyes fly towards the Uroborus statue on the stage and they see that it's glowing. Roxis opens his mouth to say something, but is cut short when he sees a black mist surrounding them.

His hand finds its way to his Solingen deck and the other finds her wrist. She is the same: one hand on the hilt of her sword and the other grazing his knuckles with her fingertips. The mist overwhelms their senses and when they come to they find themselves in a familiar place. The floors made of stone and the windows aren't much of an indicator, but they can already tell that it's Al-RevisAcademy.

"Is this the Academy?" Anna muses out loud as she looks around. The walls are bending and swirling so she assumes that it's a mere illusion.

Roxis flattens a palm against the wall and draws back immediately when he feels it bend and cave over at his touch. "It would seem so, but the space is poorly constructed. Whatever form of alchemy this is, it is quite third rate."

"I knew there was something bad about that Uroborus statue," she says as she steps down the stairs, relieved that at least the floor is stable. "Do you think the others are in the same situation as us?"

"Most likely," he answers and he follows her down the hall. "I think it's better if we find the source of this illusion and put an end to it before anyone is harmed."

Nodding, she summons her Mana; the small squirrel-like being hops on her head and coos at Roxis with familiarity. "Do you think you can find the origin of this illusion?" She asks the jumpy creature and it nods. It disappears in flecks of blue and they wait.

"You said that the décor was taken care of by your colleagues and your dad?" Anna clarifies.

He nods and says, "One of them is likely to be responsible for this."

"I doubt that your father would want to sabotage your party, so I hate to say this, but it's probably one of your colleagues," she concludes.

"I have been thinking about that too," he confesses. "This only intensifies my suspicion that the culprit for spreading the Mana illness is someone close to me."

Anna puts a contemplative hand on her chin. "It's likely that we'll find him in this illusion. We might be able to find out his motives too."

"Two birds with one stone," Roxis comments. "How convenient…"

The Mana of Illusion returns and it coos at both of them. The lack of speech is no longer a surprise to him. It has always been rather shy and reserved to all except her. It points towards the direction ahead of them and the two follow.

They wind down familiar halls until they finally stop at the entrance of the Clock Tower. The Mana jumps up while pointing towards the top of the tower. "That's a rather… overused scenario," she comments.

"I guess whoever plotted this is rather fond of novels and has decided to adapt it," he sighs. The thought of having a subordinate who thinks like a child is rather comforting for him. Catching him will prove to be easy.

"I do think that it's Harold who did this," Anna tells him.

Roxis has never gotten into an argument with the man, but he considers it to be possible. Besides, her instincts are accurate most of the time. They continue walking up the stairs. Once they reach the door, they note the considerable lack of monsters that litter the area. At least, they littered the area when they stayed in the Academy.

"The question is: why?" He says as they stop in front of the door of the Principal's office. It's been a long time since they left the Academy; longer still for Roxis. Though the construct is poorly made, it has its similarities.

The door is opened and indeed, they do see Harold standing before the fabricated table of the Principal's office. He turns to them and smirks rudely. The assistant claps mockingly at the approaching pair. "Congratulations. You are the first ones to be able to find my location in this labyrinth."

Roxis allows him his moment of arrogance. "I don't have time to deal with you. Why are you doing this?"

Harold's eyes darken. "Don't you think it's a bit unfair for you to be gaining all this credit; all this money for a mere recycled recipe?"

The bespectacled male sighs. He isn't new to those who openly hate him. His researches granted him a slight increase in fame and an increase in fame—no matter how small—will lead to people like Harold. "Are you telling me that you endangered all these people in the party just so you can make a point?"

"Do you take me for a simpleton?" Harold retorts. "I have grander plans than that. If people are found injured during your party, then the reputation of the Rosenkrantz family will take a dive. Of course now that you and," he eyes Anna and continues, "your girlfriend are the only lose ends of the plan…"

Anna opens her mouth to retort but the slight mistake does not outweigh the situation. She keeps her mouth shut and allows them to continue their conversation. Her concerns can come later.

"You're planning to kill us so you can get away with this, is that what you're saying?" Roxis clarifies.

"No," Harold reveals a vial from the pocket of his coat. It's filled with a sickly blue liquid. "This will render you in a catatonic state," he explains. "I suffered a long time inside that dusty library you never bothered to clean. I stole what little you had left in your workshop. I have enough for you and the lovely woman beside you."

Anna frowns and turns to Roxis for assistance. The latter's eyebrows meet each other and he says, "There's one more thing I would like to know."

Harold makes an open palm gesture, signifying for the bespectacled male to continue. "Why did you make the Mana poison?"

The brunette's eyes shine with recognition. "So you've figured that much?"

"You're the only one who has access to my workshop and the recipes I've had prior," Roxis explains. "In fact, you were the one who told me about the recipe. Now that I think about it, I should have confronted you earlier."

Harold smirks before an alchemic circle suddenly appears on their feet. Instantly, Anna and Roxis are paralyzed. The former drops her sword and the assistant picks it up, appraising the length of the blade and saying, "You shouldn't be playing with such sharp objects, Miss Anna." He unsheathes it and whistles at the weight imposed on his hands. "This is some fine steel," he carelessly throws it away, making the owner snarl. "Not that I would know…"

He brandishes the vial again and slowly walks around the paralyzed duo. "My late brother was an alchemist in training; he was rather smart and gifted with the art," he starts. "We were children when he was invited to some research facility put up by licensed alchemists. They were experimenting on Mana," his words hold a certain bitterness to it and it's very hard to miss. "That thing spiraled out of control and burned everything in sight. Naturally, my brother died too." He opens the vial and waves the cork at their general direction. "Mana are dangerous things. They're meant to be kept out of this world and I'm taking it on myself to make sure that they're gone."

"Humph," the Mana of Light starts inside Roxis' head. It's quite strange how the naturally observant Mana—waiting for his master to create a mistake for him to laugh at—has stayed silent during the entire ordeal of inviting Anna and dealing with the party goers. "His alchemy is weak. Since he has a hatred for my kind, I'm guessing he doesn't have a Mana or even tried to make a pact with one. This should be child's play for you, Roxis."

His master scoffs and says, "That's rather ambitious for someone who doesn't have a Mana." A bright light from his Mana encloses the entire room, dispelling the paralysis-inducing alchemic circle by their feet. The illusion of Al-RevisAcademy is also starting to flicker. Anna moves her fingers and is surprised to see Roxis putting himself between her and the bewildered Harold.

"None of us know the extent of a Mana's power," the blonde male starts. "But one thing's for sure: the Mana that killed your brother didn't spiral out of control intentionally. Those alchemists were tampering with what they didn't know anything about. It was them that killed your brother; not the Mana."

Harold clucks his tongue and says, "What a pathetic lie. What makes you think that I would believe your story?"

"The story came from Miss Schelling herself," Roxis smirks. "I'm sure you're familiar of her?"

The brunette's eyes widen in recognition. He saw a few letters on Roxis' desk from his former teacher in the Academy and being a graduate himself; ahead of Roxis on top of that, Harold knew full well who Isolde Schelling was. "Have you ever told Miss Anna about the letters that you and that woman shared?" He turns to the younger female with a snide smirk. "I'm sure she would love to hear how that older woman gave you advices and encouraged you about your works."

Anna opens her mouth but is interrupted again. "Miss Schelling is a valuable source of output. She's frank and direct to the point; on top of that, she's an excellent alchemist indeed. Perhaps if you listened to her classes, you would know that there's a large difference when an alchemic process is influenced by a Mana."

With that, Roxis summons the Mana of Light. It bares it fangs to the bewildered male before jumping to the ceiling. It curls on itself and spins, generating a loud light. The culprit tries to summon another alchemic circle, but a card whistles through the air and the sharp edge of the Solingen restrains his right wrist from moving. His sleeve is attached to the wall by the card's edge.

Harold glares at Roxis who offers him a smug smile. For a moment and for Anna, her bespectacled senior has reverted to his younger self, the one who roamed the floating continent with her and their friends. She allows herself a smile as her own Mana answers to the call brought about by the Mana of Light. Together, they dispel the illusion.

When the light fades and Roxis regains his bearings, he hears the Mana of Illusion's worried cry. He blinks away the white dots in his vision, silently scolding his Mana for being such a reckless show off. Anna is in Harold's grip, the sharp edge of his Solingen card is placed against her neck. The latter's face is that of terrified madness; the former is merely surprised.

Glancing behind him, Roxis sees that the guests are relatively unhurt. They are staring at the scene before them with surprise and worry. Finally, Harold speaks in a loud and crazed voice, "Nobody move! If I see a finger twitch, I'll kill Roxis' girlfriend!"

Anna, once more, opens her mouth to speak, but thinks the better of it. She glances at her katana pointedly and then at Roxis. The bespectacled senior gets the message and he relays a silent command to his Mana. "Let her go, Harold. You're just ensuring your doom even more." He makes a move towards his assistant and in turn, the brunette makes a gash along the young woman's left arm.

She winces, but learning how to use her katana earned her a number of gashes and wounds in equal intensity or greater than this one. "I—I—I—I—I warned you!" Harold shouts. "D—Do—don't—don't come any closer or—or she really gets it!"

Roxis merely shrugs before the Mana of Light makes another entrance; it shoots a beam of light towards Harold who is immediately blinded. When the light fades, the guests are astounded to see that Anna has the tip of her blade pressed against her assailant's neck. This time, she opens her mouth and continues, "While that would be such an honor, I am not Roxis' girlfriend."

The brunette opens his mouth to say something, but she incapacitates him with a blow to the belly with the sheath of her sword. Roxis finishes him with a fist to the face. The bespectacled blonde recoils immediately before turning to his injured underclassman. A hand comes to his shoulder and he sees the familiar carefree smile of his father.

"You better treat Anna's wounds," Roel speaks as he glances at Harold's helpless form. "We can handle this."

Nodding at his father, he rushes towards Anna and helps her stand. The gash isn't that deep but it's still bleeding rather badly. While the injured female betrays no signs of distress, she is turning pale and clammy. He figures that it's because of the sake she's ingested a while ago.

He ushers her quietly out of the hall and brings her to one of the rooms that are vacant. Despite the fact that medical alchemy is not his area of expertise, Roxis knows quite a bit to be able to close the wound. He gathers water from the faucet and tears at the remaining sleeve of her kimono. Finally, he takes out an herb hidden within the folds of his coat.

The Mana of Light intervenes then as Roxis wets the cloth and uses it to place the herb in place. Anna winces a bit before she calms down and the herb starts working its magic into the wound. The gash is closed, but still quite raw.

"I apologize for my recklessness," he starts. "We could have avoided this."

She smiles impishly, "I'm used to getting hurt. It comes with the wielding of the sword."

His face becomes unreadable, but the look on his face is rather funny. "Is something wrong Roxis?" Even in the dark room, she can make out the light blush dusting his cheeks. She wisely decides against pointing it out.

"Well…" he stammers and within his mind he can hear the Mana of Light snickering at his incompetence. "Everyone from the party must be thinking that you really are…" he gulps and forces the words out of his throat "… affiliated to me in a romantic way…"

Anna would have laughed, but she can see the struggle in his face and it's a lot more realistic than that of Harold's vendetta against Mana. "You must have something in mind if you're pondering about that…" she points out as calmly as she can.

Roxis nods. Their involvement as acquaintances—their term for being friends—has made it so that he doesn't have to embarrass himself with unnecessary words. Anna takes her hand off her numb left arm and inquires him about whatever is bothering him.

"Well…" he starts, averting his gaze from his underclassman. "You're undoubtedly pretty and smart and capable."

At this moment, she has no idea what is bringing this on; she responds with a tilt of her head.

He takes a deep breath and continues, "And I find you more amiable than anyone else…" in a small voice he finishes, "I might actually take my ex-assistant's suggestion."

* * *

><p><strong>I'll end here... XD<strong>

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**chquine_harvinellisse**


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